South Africa’s ruling African National Congress has buckled under public pressure to refund the government more than US$6,000 as payment for using a military aircraft for its officials to travel to Zimbabwe to conduct party business, APA learnt on Friday.
A seven-member ANC delegation jumped into Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula air force jet to Zimbabwe where she had gone to have a meeting with her counterpart in Harare three weeks ago.
When this became public knowledge the opposition criticised the ANC, saying this was an abuse of state resources and demanded the ruling party to pay back the trip’s expenses for the party members.
In documents Mapisa-Nqakula submitted to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the papers showed that the trip to Zimbabwe cost the taxpayer US$13,650 in total.
The ANC was, therefore, responsible for settling US$6,325 of the bill for the transportation of its seven-member delegation, the minister said.
The balance would be treated as normal costs incurred for flying the defence minister and her support staff to her official meeting in Harare.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe confirmed processing the payment for getting “a lift” to Harare.
The ANC officials had gone to Harare to discuss with President Emmerson Mnangagwa the neighbouring country’s current political challenges which have seen the arrest of 60 activists protesting human rights abuses and a poor economy under the Covid-19 lockdown.
NM/jn/APA